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Family Business Romance Atmosphere Owners

	I have worked in a family-owned business for several years. Last year, the firms' president took ill and his son, the vice president, took over. Recently, he began a sexual relationship with one of his direct reports, a woman who separated from her husband because of this affair. She oversees an important department. Because of the lack of professionalism and judgment of these two individuals, productivity has slipped, clients are being lost, and many good employees are thinking about quitting. Should I talk to the president who is healthy today but not involved in the day-to-day business?
	This mess is certainly not going to do much for the president's health, but he does need to know that things are a little sick in his company. Not only is his son engaging in improper behavior, but sonny's actions are arguably driving the business right into the ground. These types of situations do not resolve themselves and simply disappear one day. Rather, they tend to intensify. Although no one has a crystal ball here, the odds are that this relationship will collapse, the president's son will most likely cast his nets for another catch, and his present paramour will probably start thinking about making a claim against sonny boy and the company. Unless the president is a "like-father-like-son" kind of leader, he will be interested in learning about any problems that are interfering with the success of the organization. He needs to see that there is a big problem, namely his son.

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